American Diabetes Association Partners with Heka Health to Power their Second Annual Walking Challenge at the 76th Scientific Sessions Meeting in New Orleans, June 10-14, 2016.

May 19, 2016 - The American Diabetes Association is once again partnering with Heka Health, a Silicon Valley based health technology company, to power their annual Walking Challenge at the 76th Scientific Sessions Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Walking Challenge, supported by AstraZeneca, promotes healthy behaviors, provides wellness education, and motivates healthcare professionals to “walk the talk”, all in a fun and engaging manner.

The Walking Challenge will also encourage participation in the Wellness Lives Here Pavilion, a new addition to the Association’s annual meeting. In this dedicated wellness area, meeting attendees can participate in activities such as cooking and exercise demos to promote healthier lifestyle choices.

Type 2 Diabetes is one of fastest growing public health crises today and for decades, exercise has been considered a cornerstone of diabetes management, along with diet and medication. To prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes is at the heart of the Association’s mission. A shared vision to engage healthcare professionals and their patients with tools that enhance chronic disease management and prevention unites the Association and Heka Health in their efforts.

“Focusing on wellness activities and providing an engaging way to keep meeting attendees active throughout our event is a key focus on this year’s event,” said Judy Lewis, Director, Corporate Alliances for the Association. “We are excited to be partnering with Heka Health and AstraZeneca to bring our mission to life through innovative technology-enabled solutions.”

The Association 'Walks the Talk' 

Participants will be encouraged to walk 76,000 steps throughout the duration of the meeting in honor of the 76th Scientific Sessions. Meeting attendees can either use a custom branded activity tracker or their own fitness-tracking device to compete against other meeting attendees to achieve their step goals. A customized mobile app will provide steppers with real-time information on their steps during the event and leaderboards will highlight top steppers as the event unfolds. Additionally, for each Wellness Demo they attend, participants will also be entered into daily giveaways to win patient-oriented Diabetes education merchandise or a customized ‘Walking Challenge in a Box’ to encourage their own patients to ‘Walk the Talk.’

“Our mission is to more efficiently connect individuals with the people and resources that can collectively support their overall well being,” said Tony Salah, CEO of Heka Health. “This partnership with the Association and AstraZeneca embodies our mission to align incentives across the siloed healthcare system with the ultimate goal of encouraging healthy behaviors and supporting improved health outcomes for all.”

About the American Diabetes Association 

The American Diabetes Association leads the fight against the deadly consequences of diabetes and fights for those affected by diabetes. They fund research to prevent, cure and manage diabetes, deliver services to hundreds of communities and provide objective and credible information and give voice to those denied their rights because of diabetes. For more information, visit diabetes.org.